The Discovery of Sustainability

From diets to economic growth: everything these days has to be sustainable. And yet its very currency should not obscure its origins: sustainability is a concept deeply rooted in human culture. As an integral part of our world cultural heritage, it can still be rescued from its present inflationary coinage. For, although on everyones lips today, sustainable development is an age-old aspiration. In clear and thought-provoking terms, Ulrich Grober reassesses the concept of sustainability using a range of fascinating historical instances of its application. He considers the vision of men such as Hans Carl von Carlowitz. Faced with a crisis in timber supplies for the silver mine he managed in Saxony, von Carlowitz published his treatise on sustainable forestry in 1713 and is now credited with having first formulated the three pillars of sustainability: environmental equilibrium, economic security and social justice.